Ke$ha: 'Die Young comments were made in heat of the moment'

Posted: Friday 21 Dec 2012

Pop star KE$HA has clarified remarks she made about her now-controversial song DIE YOUNG after suggesting she had been "forced" to record the tune.

The track was pulled from radio airwaves in America due to its sensitive title following the tragic Connecticut school massacre last week (14Dec12), and while the singer claimed she completely understood why the "inappropriate" tune was dropped, she also alleged that she was not wholly responsible for the material, insisting in a Twitter.com post that she had been "forced" to sing the titular lyrics.

The tweet was subsequently deleted, but now she has taken to her official website to clear up any confusion about the single, which was co-written by Ke$ha, producer Dr. Luke and fun. frontman Nate Ruess.

A statement posted online reads: "After such a tragic event I was feeling a lot of emotion and sadness when I said I was forced to sing some of the lyrics to Die Young. Forced is not the right word. I did have some concerns about the phrase 'die young' in the chorus when we were writing the lyrics especially because so many of my fans are young and that's one reason why I wrote so many versions of this song. But the point of the song is the importance of living every day to the fullest and staying young at heart, and these are things I truly believe."

Twenty children and six staff members were gunned down by 20-year-old Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. He also allegedly killed his own mother before turning the weapon on himself.

Die Young isn't the only track to suffer a drop in popularity following the murders - Foster The People's Pumped Up Kicks has also been taken off air, while If I Die Young by country stars The Band Perry became the latest song to be pulled from the airwaves this week (begs17Dec12) out of respect for the murder victims.